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Prime Minister urges Brits to stop wasting food

8th Jul 2008 - 00:00
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Gordon Brown has warned that Britons must stop wasting food, with figures suggesting that the UK throws away 4 million tonnes of food every year.
Travelling to the G8 summit in Japan to discuss rising food and energy prices, the Prime Minister said: "If we are to get food prices down, we must also do more to deal with unnecessary demand – such as all of us doing more to cut down food waste which is costing the average household in Britain around £8 per week." He urges people to plan their meals in advance and store food properly in order to cut price rises. Findings from The Cabinet Office report found that up to 40% of food harvested in developing countries can be lost before it is consumed due to the inadequacies of processing, storage and transport. Melanie Leech, general director of Food and Drink Federation, agreed with the warning that has been issued: "We applaud the Government for recognising the importance of maintaining a supportive environment for competitive UK food producers. This is particularly vital given the current economic uncertainty." She continued: "As a voice of the UK's biggest manufacturing sector, we are pleased to see our issues being placed at the top of the Government's policy agenda, with a strong commitment to deliver joined-up responses to ongoing debates in complex areas such as food security, safety, health and the environment." UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn explained to the BBC: "What we are trying to get across is there is this complex relationship between what we buy, the amount, waste, the impact on climate change and the impact on our health." Meanwhile Steve Webb, the Lib Dems environment spokesman, told the BBC that the supermarkets are to blame: "The problem of food waste has been made worse by the government's failure to get tough with supermarkets. Its cosy relationship with the big chains has stalled effective action." "They refuse to stock small portions, which are essential for the growing number of one-person households, and offer too many buy-one-get-one-free deals on perishable goods."
Written by
PSC Team